COPPERAS COVE — Members of the Copperas Cove Independent School District’s board of trustees Tuesday approved the purchase of land near the district’s Avenue E complex.

The board’s seven members unanimously approved the purchase of the property, located at 206 S. Eighth St., in Copperas Cove, at a cost of $100,000. The property is currently owned by Extraco Bank, according to the sale contract.

The land is located on the north side of Avenue E and sits across the street from property the district already owns.

The district’s complex at Avenue E currently houses the Crossroads alternative high school campus, as well as CCISD’s Disciplinary Alternative Education Program, or DAEP.

Robert Burns, the district’s superintendent, said the district plans to move the DAEP program to a new facility that will be built on the newly purchased land.

Moving the DAEP program is likely the first step toward a new identity for the district’s Avenue E property.

At a workshop Monday, Burns and the board began preliminary discussions about the possibility of turning the complex of buildings at the site into a career and technical education high school, and offer classes and certificates in areas such as automotive technology, cosmetology, culinary arts and information technology.

“We want to create a variety of opportunities for our students,” Burns said.

Both Burns and board president Joan Manning said plans for creating the career and technology high school are still preliminary.

“The first thing we need to do is take care of the DAEP, as (the program) is required by state law,” Burns said.

Contact Chris McGuinness at chrism@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7568. Follow him on Twitter at ChrismKDH.